Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:25-27)
Jesus sounds pretty radical in today’s Gospel.
However, there is a fundamental truth that He is trying to convey.
The truth, by the way, is not hate.
The truth is that we often allow things — or people — to get in the way of our relationship with God.
We need to be as dedicated as possible to our relationship with the Lord so that we do not go astray. This is crucial since there are so many distractions that this world throws at us.
Jesus knew that.
Which is why He always preached that single-mindedness of purpose.
Can we allow things and people into our lives?
Of course.
However, we cannot allow them to throw us off kilter so that we lose our way.
FAITH ACTION: What — or who — is keeping you from dedicating your all to God this day? What can you do to reset your priorities?